Keane admits to consulting leading sports psychologist

ROY KEANE has admitted consulting England’s sports psychologist Bill Beswick, but insists he has no intention of making a similar appointment at Sunderland.

Keane has revealed he spoke to Beswick, England head coach Steve McClaren’s long-time guru, when they were together at Manchester United and also talked with him after taking the Sunderland job.

The Black Cats’ manager maintains he is “open-minded’ about the value of sports psychology, which he first encountered when former United assistant boss McClaren introduced Beswick to Old Trafford.

McClaren also took Beswick with him to Middlesbrough, initially in the surprise role of assistant manager. Now Beswick is part of the England set-up, and Keane said: “I know Bill Beswick well. I knew Bill at United and he was very good. I would speak to him — just for four hours a day!

“I would speak to him very casually, but it wouldn’t necessarily be about me mellowing.

“It would be all sorts, but it was nothing major and it was all very relaxed. I believe there is a place for that sort of thing. Some people would see him once a year, some would see him every day and some had no interest, but I would speak to him. Like I’ve said about maybe having a director of football, you have to be open-minded.

“I’ve spoken to players who knew Bill when he was at Derby and appreciated what he did there. Bill could tell somebody he is the best player in the world and he might believe it. I enjoyed speaking to Bill and I spoke to him when I first got the job here.’’

Keane added: “I don’t think Alex Ferguson was a great fan of sports psychologists, even though he had one at United, but I think that was more down to Steve.

“Brian Clough wouldn’t have had one — not in a million years. He brought somebody in to do the weights one time and he lasted an hour, so every manager is different.

“Clubs like Newcastle seem to be bringing a lot of people on board, but everybody is different. The danger is you can go too far and players start depending on these people.

“I have my own coaching staff, sports fitness people, a dietician. You try to help players in every way you can but, with the staff I have here, I’m drawing a line.

“You see some clubs and the staff on the side of the pitch, and it’s like American football. There are hundreds of them, but I don’t need hundreds of staff.’’

But Keane did admit to having welcomed former Olympic high jumper Steve Smith to Sunderland last season to deliver a motivational speech.

He said: “We had Steve Smith here, but that was just a one-off. We might do that again, bring somebody in as a one-off, but nobody is going to be here day to day.

“But I would never dismiss that, I wouldn’t shut the door on anything like that. I spoke to dieticians and all sorts of people. I was very open-minded — maybe too open-minded — but the bottom line is you’re a footballer and you don’t necessarily need 20 staff telling you what you are good at.

“You have to get the balance right. Don’t be dependent on these people, like some players are.

“Some convince themselves that if they don’t get five massages a week, they are not going to have a good game on a Saturday. Footballers are complicated.’’